It Snowed
When I left this place last time, the peach blossoms were blooming like snow. Why did the pink peach blossoms resemble snow? Because a beautiful girl stood beneath the snow, her cheeks rosy. Today, I've returned, but the snow is falling like peach blossoms. Why does the snow resemble pink peach blossoms? Because the girl gazing at the snow has rosy cheeks.
--Farewell Poem by Fan Yun (Southern and Northern Dynasties)
The three of them rode their bikes around the West Lake Scenic Area until dinner time before returning to the hotel to prepare for their meal.
At this time of day, the restaurant was only accepting reservations, but Liu Chang'an had already made a dinner reservation after lunch.
Lunch was alright. Apart from the foie gras scallion pancake that An Nuan loves, we didn't order the same dishes again, and naturally we didn't order West Lake or Zhenjiang Vinegar Ribs.
Han Zhizhi didn't order any alcohol, but she did order a beer and ice cream. Besides, there were all kinds of alcoholic beverages in the room's water cabinet. She thought it would be nice to have a few drinks with the beautiful An Nuan in the evening, watch some dramas, and then go to sleep.
After dinner, they went to see a show. By the time they got back to their room, it was already 11 p. m. To Liu Chang'an's surprise, there was still no sign of snow.
"This weather forecast is just as unreliable as my Spider Divination," Liu Chang'an thought with a touch of melancholy.
So Liu Chang'an didn't throw Han Zhizhi outside to be used as a snowman that night, which was a bit of a shame.
The next morning, Liu Chang'an and An Nuan saw Han Zhizhi off at the station. On their way back, it seemed as if something finally fell from the gloomy sky. Liu Chang'an touched An Nuan's hair, and fine snowflakes clung to his fingers. Touched by her warm skin, they melted like a young girl's tears.
"It's finally snowing!" An Nuan excitedly ran and jumped, waving her hand towards the sky and then patting it.
Feeling the snowflakes melting in her palm as she patted them, An Nuan exclaimed happily twice, then turned to look at Liu Chang'an.
Liu Chang'an also looked at her. The beautiful young girl seemed to be in a better mood than when Han Zhizhi was here. That heartfelt joy was revealed in her eyes and brows. Her trembling eyelashes, her bangs swaying in the wind, her flowing hair, and the liveliness she exuded all expressed her good mood.
It seems that only now does the trip to Lin'an truly begin for the two of them.
A couple's trip is essentially a long date. Even if she doesn't really mind being disturbed, she still wants to show him the anticipation of the date, the sweetness she wants to enjoy, and the adorable, innocent side of herself that only blossoms when they're alone.
He wouldn't mind occasionally showing affection in front of Han Zhizhi, but he was ultimately too embarrassed to act coquettishly or awkwardly, or to put on an act of waiting for him to coax him.
"You checked the weather forecast before you came, right?" An Nuan really likes snowy weather, especially when traveling, and chose a city that is already perfect for snow scenery.
Among the cities south of the Yangtze River, Lin'an is definitely one of the places that people most look forward to seeing snow.
"I thought it would snow yesterday, but I didn't expect Han Zhizhi to come, so the snow was delayed. It only came after she left." Liu Chang'an was also a little surprised. Indeed, the weather is the most unpredictable thing. Even with modern technology that uses the world's most advanced computers to participate in prediction, there are times when God will not let us down.
"You're not angry, are you?" An Nuan asked somewhat embarrassedly, after all, he was the one who suggested the trip and date, but it had been interrupted for a whole day and night.
"Am I such a petty person?" Liu Chang'an patted her hair. After being outdoors for a long time, the temperature of her skin and clothes dropped, and the snowflakes that landed on them did not melt immediately.
"You are! You are! I like that you're a little bit stingy when it comes to things related to me," An Nuan said sweetly, twisting her body back and forth, looking particularly charming and innocent.
This is the kind of behavior she wouldn't do in front of her friends. This kind of coquettishness, so sweet and cloying, would be unbearable for others; it might even make them want to vomit.
But he doesn't know how.
"Okay, Han Zhizhi is really annoying. She wasted my precious day. For the next hundred years, I will never give her a kind look." Liu Chang'an was particularly willing to cooperate with An Nuan's performance.
"That's too exaggerated, it doesn't look real at all." An Nuan smiled and slowly moved closer to Liu Chang'an, snuggling into his arms. She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Let's go, let's go back."
Liu Chang'an and An Nuan took a taxi back to the hotel. When they got out of the car, they saw that the leaves, Rooftop, and grass around them were already covered with a thin layer of snow.
"We won't be stranded in Lin'an by the snow, will we?" An Nuan asked Liu Chang'an, her tone a mix of worry and anticipation.
"You're overthinking it. No matter how heavy the snow is in the south, it melts quickly. With a little sunshine and the temperature warming up by a degree or two, the snow is just enough for you to post a few pictures on social media. It'll be gone in a day or two." Liu Chang'an hadn't seen snow-covered winters in the south for many years. In recent years, the only time he'd seen snow was during the ice storm in the south in 2008.
"That's good... If only we lived in Northeast China, we could raise a few huskies to pull our sleds," An Nuan said with a touch of longing.
"When we go to places with lots of snow and ice, I'll pull you along, and I guarantee it'll be faster than a dog sled," Liu Chang'an said confidently.
"No way! Boyfriends aren't for doing things like that." An Nuan imagined her boyfriend pulling a sled, laughed, leaned against him, then turned around, grabbed Liu Chang'an's hand, and ran forward, bending down as if pulling him at full speed. "I'm a beautiful sled dog!"
"Beautiful female sled dogs aren't for pulling sleds," Liu Chang'an said, looking at her two ponytails.
"What's that used for?" An Nuan asked casually.
"Walking."
"You're so annoying!" An Nuan turned around, scolded him playfully, and pushed him away. "I'm not going to hold your hand anymore, I'm running away by myself."
As she spoke, she ran quickly toward the room. Looking at her cheerful appearance, Liu Chang'an vaguely saw a resemblance to Zhu Juntang... Fortunately, An Nuan was only occasionally so carefree, unlike Zhu Juntang had completely gone astray on the path of a wealthy heiress and was running around among the sheep.
When Liu Chang'an returned to his room, An Nuan was standing on the bedroom balcony watching the snow. Liu Chang'an sat on the sofa watching her back. The room had been cleaned, the bed had been made, and the sheets and duvet cover were neat and white.
Just as snowy landscapes often evoke images of red plum blossoms.
An Nuan turned around and saw that Liu Chang'an had already entered the room. She ran in, a gust of wind embraced her, cold and refreshing. She closed the door and said with some anticipation, "Will we be able to see a silvery-white world when we wake up tomorrow?"
"More or less." Liu Chang'an glanced outside. "If it keeps snowing like this, it should stop by tonight. If the snow stops overnight, tomorrow will be the best time to see the snow scenery."
"Oh right... didn't you say you were coming to Lin'an... to Lin'an..." An Nuan tilted her head, trying to remember. "Right, it seems you said there was someone here who needed you to handle things."
Since arriving in Lin'an yesterday, Liu Chang'an has been playing with Han Zhizhi and him. This morning he took Han Zhizhi to the station, and so far he hasn't said anything about who he's going to deal with or what he's going to do.
"Yes, the person I need to deal with is in this room," Liu Chang'an said, looking at An Nuan.
An Nuan looked around, then her eyes met Liu Chang'an's. An Nuan finally realized that she was the one he was going to deal with.
When he spoke to her back then, he was so serious and calm, as if what he was doing had nothing to do with An Nuan. Even when he repeatedly expressed his hope that Han Zhizhi would not disturb him and An Nuan never thought that the people he came to Lin'an to deal with and the things he was going to do had anything to do with her!
The snow outside was heavy, covering the ground, waiting quietly for the red plum blossoms to bloom.
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